The veteran's appeal is to determine if he should receive a higher initial evaluation for his peptic ulcer disease, duodenal ulcer, esophagitis, hiatal hernia, and postoperative vagotomy. The case has been remanded due to inadequate examination without access to the claims file.
The deciding factor: The VA examination was conducted without access to the appellant's claims file, rendering it inadequate for rating purposes.
- Claimed conditions
- peptic ulcer disease, duodenal ulcer, esophagitis, hiatal hernia, postoperative vagotomy
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 18, 2002
- Citation
- 0200696
This is a plain-language summary generated by AI from a public Board of Veterans’ Appeals decision. It can contain errors — always verify against the original. Look up the original decision on VA.gov (opens in a new tab) using citation 0200696.
What this means for you
A remand is not a loss. The Board sent the case back for more development — often a new exam or missing records — before making a final decision. Many remands later end in a grant, and the decision spells out exactly what the Board wanted to see.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for chronic kidney disease, atrial fibrillation, hiatal hernia, COPD, and prostate cancer as a result of toxic exposure during the Veteran's military service.
- Granted
The Board granted a rating of 60 percent from January 27, 2016 to July 7, 2022 for the Veteran's duodenal ulcer, duodenitis, gastritis, and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).
- Partly granted
The Board granted a 30 percent disability rating for GERD and hiatal hernia, effective March 31, 2020, but denied an earlier effective date and a higher initial rating.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for hiatal hernia but denied it for obstructive sleep apnea.
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